Though the following ski resorts (旅游胜地) listed are less well-known, going skiing there is exciting for everyone this season.

Bear Valley is one of the less well-known ski resorts in California when compared to popular resorts like Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley. This ski area has runs that satisfy the needs of nearly everyone with or without experience. Skiers will find 1,280 acres of skiable areas with an average annual snowfall of over 350 inches. There are even snowcat tours that take adventurous skiers to the terrain (地带) that is harder to access but less tracked.

Located in Jay, Vermont, Jay Peak is the snowiest ski area on the east coast, averaging 355 inches of snowfall annually. Jay Peak is known for its challenging terrain and good backcountry skiing. The peak is best known for getting some of the most snow on the East Coast.

Located outside the town of Whitefish, which offers plenty of fun after a long day of skiing, Big Mountain has over 3,000 acres of terrain, with almost 100 marked trails and plenty of bowl and tree skiing. Skiers will find a summit elevation at over 6,800 feet, and a vertical drop of almost 2,500 feet.

Schweitzer Mountain is one of Idaho’s greatest skiing treasures. Visitors will enjoy the views of Lake Pend Oreille, and can visit the lovely town of Sandpoint after a long day of enjoying the snow. There is an annual average snowfall of 300 inches, and over 90 trails. Schweitzer even has open bowl skiing, cat skiing, and even night skiing.

The first time I realized that I had a love for sports competitions was during the Field Day inelementary school. Small for my age, and more of a bookworm than a sports lover, I had suffered that special humiliation of being picked last for various gym teams. The Field Day, which focused on individual (个体的) skills, was different. In the Softball Throw event, I got my first taste of sporting victory. Credit goes to the example of my first coach, my father. He lifted weights every morning at home. He bought us all baseball gloves and hats, and in the warm months, we spent hours playing catch.

Once I got to sixth grade and switched to private school, our entire student body was assigned to either the Red or the White team. Throughout the year, we competed against each other in various games and exercises for points. I eventually became president of The Committee of Games. I also played on the field hockey team and the basketball team. And at home, playing tennis, skating, skiing and biking were simply normal things we did. During the break time, magazines were also quite popular for us teens. These regularly featured articles on physical exercise. Somehow, my college roommate and I took up the habit of completing Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) exercises every day, a practice that continued into my marriage, when we had no spare money to use to join a gym.

So, though it shocks some of our friends, that early foundation (基础) evolved in adulthood into a sports and fitness focus, considered important even on vacation. I still love reading and the arts, too. As far as I’m concerned, life is the richest with my feet in both worlds.

Most people make a donation (捐赠)if they want to help those in need. But Eddie Izzard, a 47-year-old British man, did something completely different. He decided to raise money by running 1,100 miles. And he managed to raise more than £200,000!

It would take most people at least two years if they were crazy enough to try and mil such a distance. But Eddie Izzard? It took him just 51 days. In less than two months, he ran 43 marathons!

When asked how he felt, he said that he was planning to “sleep for a week”. He thanked the people who had come to support him and joined him on his journey.

And how long did he have to train for all this? Well, amazingly, only five weeks—he wasn’t even particularly fit when he decided to put himself in for this journey.

And what a journey it was! He lost several of his toenails (脚趾甲)and had blisters (水泡)all over his feet. He had to take ice baths for his legs at the end of each day to help stop his legs inflating (肿胀)lo twice the size of an elephant.

Ever experts are impressed with what he has achieved. Andy Dixon, editor of Runners World, says, “Covering 26 miles in a day at whatever speed for 43 runs, it’s demanding. A 5-hour marathon is a fairly decent pace. It’s a great achievement.”

So how did he do it? Well, he ran slowly at first. Ten hours a day to begin with and, as he got fitter, he got faster. In the end he was finishing in just over five hours. But fitness alone was not enough. What was more important was the fact that Eddie Izzard wanted to make a difference to other peopled lives. What Eddie Izzard did was so special that the documentary of his run has been made into an inspiring film: Believe! “You’ve got to believe you can be something else. That’s why I keep going.” Eddie says in the film.